Women

The Woman behind our presence at European Women in Tech

March 1, 2019 3 mins read

The Woman behind our presence at European Women in Tech

The European Women in Technology conference is one of the largest events of its kind and hosts attendees from every corner of the continent. It enables the sector to connect, learn and act on gender diversity by sharing the experiences of industry leaders and developing women’s skills, both soft and technical.

This is the story of the woman who organized HP’s presence in an event of such magnitude.

Joining HP and an opportunity to lead

About 18 months ago I decided to join HP, a company I had heard so many of my friends speak so highly of.

Of course, that always made me curious, how they instantly got that glow on their face when they talked about “the way things are where we come from, in HP”.

Shortly after joining the organization I was offered the opportunity to project-lead the team that prepared HP’s presence at an impressive international conference on the topic of “European Women in Tech”.

I learned a lot, about many things, from people who cared and shared. This is to acknowledge their value and share in my turn a less usual story. This is my story of #LifeatHP.

Three thousand participants. Two Days. One hundred plus companies attending.

Sounds impressive, huh? But if you want a more realistic feeling amplify it by 3000+, and then you might get close.

Looking back from all perspectives, I would compare the whole event to a sizzling pill. You know how it is so quiet and not so obvious while staying in its pack? And then it touches the water and boom! It’s so …. alive!

And then, of course, when you touch you get energized too.

Here I am, still smiling with the memories of those days. And just like with the pill, just recalling the atmosphere there gave me a boost of energy 😊

But then, as always, there’s more than just one side to every story.

Behind the scenes and on stage

First, there’s the ‘behind the scenes’ the side of the story, where all the hard work and passion came together to pull this off.

We met as a virtual team every other week and had our rollercoaster of highs and lows, of challenges and breakthroughs that were always faced and celebrated together all the way until the end.

Then, there is the ‘on stage’ side of the story when everything came together on our amazingly beautiful booth, thanks to the passion and positive energy of the people who worked on it.

Our area had a constant great vibe and visitors ready and happy to chat with is.

Later on, the HP panel was stunning. It literally received standing ovations from the people at the forum, and HP’s presence on stage was continuously referenced for the entire two days of the event.

Afterward, seeing our leaders offering career counseling at the Career Advice forum with tons of people waiting in line to talk to them rather than talking to someone else from other company was invigorating.

And finally: that moment when we all came together at the end of the day, and feel like we belong.

The Personal side of the story

I will always remember the personal side of my particular story.

They say that the cave you most fear to enter contains the greatest treasure.

My demons were all there: everything completely unfamiliar, no touch and feel until the day of the actual event.

But in this cave of mine, I found that you always attract what you offer and that people stay and work together when they have common values.

My fears, in the end, turned into precious gems – a constant reminder that everything is possible as long as there is passion, communication, trust, flexibility, and shared goal. All the rest are details.

Could I put all this in just one word? Definitely:#HPProud

Contributed by Alina Florea, Talent Partner for EMEA. She is always in the middle of things, is very passionate about people development and people all in all. Also, according to her, still struggling to figure out children and cats. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

That’s What It’s Like To Be Part Of HP.

Find more articles like this: WILL There’s A Way! | Excelling At Work While Following Your Passion

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